82 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
November 3. 
are saw-toothed at the edges. The stems are slender, 
and of a dark brown colour. T. Arplebv. 
( To be continued.) 
MUSHROOM-BEDS. 
(Continued from paye 47.) 
As we have in a former article said that the production 
of Mushrooms in winter depends a great deal on the 
quality of the materials used, and the care and atten¬ 
tion bestowed in preparing them for the purpose, it is 
only necessary here to observe, that the dung should 
not, on any account, be over-heated before it is removed 
to the ground, or shed, in which it undergoes the 
preparation of “ sweetening,” or tempering, so as to 
modify, in a certain degree, that violent heating which 
stable-dung is subjected to when thrown in a mass 
together. And in such a season as the present one has 
been this part of the work must have been conducted 
under cover, otherwise the heavy, drenching rains we 
have had must have injured the dung very much. In 
preparing it for the purpose of a bod, some little dif¬ 
ference ought be made between one intended to bear 
inside a house on purpose, and one to make up in 
some sheltered place out-of-doors. The former of these 
must have the dung in as pure a state as possible, for, 
as such beds are generally very thin, it is necessary to 
have it as free from inert or useless matter. Therefore, 
for such beds, be more careful in removing the litter 
with which dung is usually mixed, and do not add any¬ 
thing less useful tliau horse-dung. A few sheep or deer- 
droppings may be advantageously added, more for the 
purpose of giving richness to the bed than assisting in 
the formation of young Mushrooms. It is, nevertheless, 
advisable to have these in use some time before the 
beds are made up, say about three weeks; the early part 
of the time the mass ought to be turned almost daily, 
but gradually prolonging the lime until a brisk but 
moderate heat succeeds that rank violent one which it 
presents at first. Now, in preparing the dung, it is 
equally wrong to allow it to remain so long in hand as 
to dispel its heating qualities entirely. This error we 
have more than once witnessed, and the result, as might 
have been expected, was unsatisfactory. These atten¬ 
tions, as a preparatory measure, are equally necessary as 
those of an after-kind, if not really more so, i'or the 
condition of the dung, at the time of making up, is of 
more consequence than all the after-mauagement; in 
fact, the duties attendant oti looking to, and occasionally 
altering, a newly made-up bed are trilling compared to 
that of making it, so that no after-care can rectify an 
error made then. 
Supposing that a quantity of well-prepared dung has 
been lying long enough to dispel all its over-heating 
properties, and presents a mass of steady heating 
matter, free from all noxious smell, and other impurities, 
and the shelf, or bed, allotted for it in the Mushroom- 
house ready to receive it, no time must be lost in 
making up accordingly. The process is in accordance 
with the build of the house, &c,; but, in a usual way, 
such structures are built with some flue or other heating 
contrivance, so that the necessary atmospheric warmth 
that is wanted to furnish good and useful Mushrooms 
occasionally may be supplied. 
Such houses are usually divided by a pathway up the 
centre into two equal parts, which is so arranged as to 
present a series of beds, ono over the other, leaving a 
space of at least two feet between the top of one bed 
and the bottom of the one above it; the lowest one 
being generally on the ground-floor ; and the second, and 
others in succession above it, are like so many shelves, 
with a depth of about a foot for the dung which the 
bed is made of. Now, as I have observed, this bed, or 
shelf, ought, when filled, to be made of the best possible 
materials, and these in good condition, that we need not | 
further urge on the necessity of having every care taken I 
in preparing it, as it will be seen, the quantity not being 
large. In filling up the shelf, or bed, it ought to be 
made tolerably firm ; yet need not be so much rammed 
as if it were the fixing of a gato post; and it is best to , 
put it in a small quantity at a time, in order to beat it { 
as it is thrown in, and the bed, or shelf, being filled, is : 
then allowed to remain a few days, in order to see which 
way the heat turns, as it sometimes becomes incon¬ 
veniently hot; at other times it refuses to heat at all; 
when the former is the case, taking out a quantity, 
and so disturbing the bed in many places, will usually 
effect a reduction in the heat, but this is rarely necessary 
when due pains have been taken to prepare it as de¬ 
tailed above. It is more likely that it will fail to heat - 
when it has been allowed to evaporate all its fermenting 
qualities in the process of preparing. When this is I 
found to be the ease, make a good-sized hole or two in 
the bed, and filling it with good, warm, fresh dung, 
will usually effect a change, and the bed having become 
gently warm it must then be spawned. 
Spawning being a part of the business on which 
success, in a great measure, depends, it is, perhaps, 
not out of place to say a few words on this substance. 
The singular substance called Mushroom - spawn, is 
usually formed of some compound in which dung is an 
important part; when it is made artificially, the admix¬ 
ture of a little loam, with two or three kinds of dung, is 
usually successful; but the manner of making it having 
been detailed before, it only remains to say that it is 
often found in old hotbeds, and other places where 
dung has been allowed to lie some time; or even in dry 
pasture fields it is sometimes found ; and we have 
picked up some excellent Mushroom-spawn from amongst 
the dung which covered the rows of potatoes planted in 
a field; and the same substauce has also been picked 
up in the track of a mill-horse, whose rotary motion 
confined his travels to a very limited circle, so that it 
often happens that good spawn is found in sufficient 
quantities without the trouble of making it; however, 
it is advisable to have always a sufficient quantity on 
hand; for beyond the waste it may occasion in spawn 
that is difficult to obtain, it is impossible to give a bed 
too much. The plan is this:— 
When the bed has assumed that nice gentle beat 
which indicates steadiness, then let a quantity of spawn 
be broken up into pieces not smaller than an apple; 
these insert in the Mushroom-bed, at distances of not 
more than a foot from each other, but three or four 
times the quantity may be put in if necessary; holes may 
be made for it so as to be just buried, and that is all. 
A covering of dry soil may be put on at the same time, 
and the bed being then smothered and beat over, it is 
only necessary to examine it occasionally to see that the 
heat is not allowed to warm too strong; and it it sub¬ 
sides too much, it is better to throw a little warmth into 
the house by putting the fire-heating apparatus to 
work. It is also sometimes advisable, when it is too dry, 
to water it gently; and if it be dry, and likewise cold, a 
quantity of hot-water poured into it in places (not all 
over it) will do good by causing a reaction, and the heat 
which warm water creates is somewhat improved by the 
latter holding sheep or deer dung in solution. This, ! 
however, is not often required when due care has been 
taken to make the materials up in the right way at first. 
Now, as all these conditions are necessary to ensure 
success, that we must particularly enforce on the young 
practitioner the propriety of attending to the well-pre¬ 
paring of the dung ns the primary object; for to neglect 
that would be to throw away the only chance we have to 
secure a crop, for though it may sometimes happen that 
a good crop will follow a bed made up of hopeless look- 
